Stanley Holmes residents have heard it before.
There's a plan in place: The heat will work.The hot water will flow. The bugs and other pests will be gone.
But the song and dance now has a chorus working together, according to those gathered for a presentation of the new plans Wednesday at City Hall.
"This team has only been here less than two years," said consultant Diane Johnson. "The mayor's office and the mayor's departments are working with the Housing Authority. That wasn't happening before. You have got City Council approving things that they didn't have to approve before, but now they're partnered with the Housing Authority.
"There's a lot that been going on," she added. "So I think it's time that we all come together and just get through this."
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small — who has long stressed that his administration has no control over the Housing Authority that runs Stanley Holmes Village and other low-income housing throughout the city — hosted the meeting to show where things are as far as the long-promised upgrades to the village.
"Prior to coming down here, I read articles, I heard stories and it was obvious from the outside looking in that Stanley Holmes was a problem," said Tom Sahlin, who became the authority's executive director about a year ago. "Unfortunately, over the past year, I've confirmed it continues to be a problem. It's a property that long-since has outlived its useful life."
He said his focus is on the residents' quality of life.
"They deserve better, and that's what we have to do," he said. "We have a lot of hard work ahead of us but I am confident we can get this done."
Funding was a major theme throughout the presentation or, more importantly, the lack of necessary funding.
"We have a $3.36 million capital budget to address $20 million in emergency deficiencies," explained engineer Michael Brown of the 360 Group.
Things, however, are finally falling into place, his presentation promised.
Previously, the "fixes" had been a series of patch jobs on the 7.3 miles of pipes that send heat and hot water through about 15 acres of land that is the three villages that make up Stanley Holmes.
Pipes, Brown explained, that have not been replaced since the 1960s.
But as the work moves to the third village — the largest of the three — heat and hot water remain a problem.
"I am a tenant that lives four doors down from the boiler room and today, as I speak, I do not have heat or hot water," said Ravina Scott, who has lived in the village for nine years. "It sounds good in the press but I’m living in this."
She blamed years of mismanagement, neglect and not putting the funds that were provided back into the properties.
"We should not be in hell and mold," she said. "The mice are running around like they paying rent up in the house."
Johnson said she would be going to Scott's home after the meeting to rectify the problem.
"We're going to find out today, not tomorrow," she said.
"I don't have heat either," Davon Brown then piped in.
Johnson said she would go there too.
"We are not going to have what we had last year," she said, walking closer and closer as she answered a question posed by Breaking AC. "I will not allow it. I just won't allow it."
She then repeated the date given by Michael Brown.
"Nov. 30, three boilers are going to be here," she said. "The sensors are going to be on those damn boilers and I guarantee you that I will be able to see as well as everybody else — Tom (Sahlin), the Board of Commissioners, the engineers — how the damn heating system is working."
Now it's a waiting game once again for the residents. Whether the promises will be fulfilled this time remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, although the meeting focused on the joining of the city and Housing Authority, the person who is part of both was the only leader who did not speak.
Stephanie Marshall is councilwoman-at-large and also chairs the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners. She stood with the group as Small, Council President Aaron "Sporty" Randolph and Council Vice President Kaleem Shabazz spoke, but she did not address the crowd.
